Burner for liquid fuel



Dec. 5, 1939. J. L. BREESE 45 BURNER FOR LIQUID FUEL Filed March 18, 1937 Patented Dec. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES BURNER. FOR LIQUID FUEL James Breese, Santa Fe, N. Mex., assignor to Oll'Deviees, Santa Fe, N. Mex., a limited partnership of Illinois Application March 18, 1937, Serial No. 131,574

4 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in burners for burning liquid fuels, such as hydrocarbons, and has for one purpose the provision of a burner which canbe turned down to a very 5 small fire, or low draft, without destroying the characteristic mode of combustion described, for example, in my prior issued Patent No. 1,702,929, issued on February 19, 1929.

Another purpose is the provision of means for permitting low draft burning with such a burner,

while preventing down drafts from upper portions of the combustion chamber, which would disadvantageously affect combustion.

Another purpose is the provision of such means 16 which are adaptable for ready removal to permit easy cleaning of the burner and for adjustment of the burner capacity.

Another purpose is the provision, in connection with one of my burners, of a lower supplementary burner which may have the functions of a pilot light for maintaining combustion during periods when a minimum heat or no heat is desired.

Another purpose is the provision of a readily applicable and removable ring or pilot light member which is readily adaptable to burners of different size or diameter.

Another purpose is the provision of such a pilot ring ormember which when cold provides clearance between its outer periphery and the opposed wall of the burner and when hot eliminates or greatly reduces this clearance.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing whereint Figure l is a vertical axial section;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the pilot ring show-' ing the pilot ring before the third leg has been put in place;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the pilot ring as shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the pilot ring after the third leg is in place.

5 Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawing.

Referring to the drawing, I generally indicates an outer furnace or heater shell and 2 an inner shell. 3 is a horizontal partition secured to the inner shell and provided with a central aperture 4. 5 is 2. preferably removable bailie with a central aperture 6. l is a combustion chamber member, herein shown as generally cylindrical, with a bottom 8 which maybe formed,

if desired, in one piece and may be secured in any (01. 15841) g suitable way, as by bolts or welding 9, to the member 3.

I0 is any suitable fuel supply pipe extending to the bottom 8. The means for supplying the fuel is not herein shown since it does not of itself 5 form part of the present invention, but it will be understood that any suitable float chamber or the like may be employed for governing the desired flow of fuel, for example a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, to the bottom 8. 10

is a closure member secured within the shell 2 and provided with apertures l2, which may be in a separate removable plate l3 closing the central aperture M of the member II. I herein illustrate air inlet apertures IS in the bottom of 16 the shell 2 and it will be understood that any suitable means, whether by natural draft or forced draft, may be used to supply air to the space between the shells I and 2, which air is caused to flow through the apertures l5, u'pwardm 1y through the apertures I2, and into the space between the member 1 and the shell 2. The member I is provided with an upper row of secondary air inlet apertures l5, herein shown as upwardly and inwardly inclined. A plurality of preferably 25 smaller apertures I! are shown arranged in rows in a lower portion of the member I. The bottom row It! is also indicated.

Positioned above the bottom row l8 or-in any other suitable location within the burner is a re- 30 movable bafile ring I9 herein shown as a cone. This bafile or pilot ring I9 is preferably cut along one radius as at 20 and inclines upwardly and inwardly toward the central aperture 2|. I illustrate a plurality of legs 22 which may be secured 35 to the conic ring l9 in any suitable manner. In

order' to permit ready insertion of the ring and its adaptation to burners of varying size, I may in use apply the legs 22 to the cone before it is inserted into the burner. It is then a simple 0 matter to insert the cone or ring through the small doorway. and then to put the third leg 23 in place. If desired, I may employ a plurality of apertures 24, 25 at opposite sides of the radial cut 20 and I may then overlap the cone and 45 fasten the additional leg 23 by inserting it through the apertures 24' and 25, the third leg then serving to hold the cone together after the conic ring has been placed in the combustion chamber of the stove.

It will be understood that in order to change the outer diameter of the cone to fit various sizes of burners, it is merely necessary to change the position of the holes 24, 25 on each side of the radial cut 20. The legs 22, 23 may be of any 1 desired height, their height or length being determined by the specific location where the conic baflle or ring is to be located. I find it convenient to place this ring above the lower line of secondary air apertures 18 as shown in Figure l, and this is a convenient and practical location where the cone is employed to maintain practically pilot light conditions in the bottom of the combustion or mixing chamber. I do not wish to be limited, however, to placing the conic ring or baflle at this particular point or level as, under varying conditions, and with varying sizes of heaters, I may wish to place it higher or lower. Under some circumstances I may wish to employ a conic baiile ring toward the top or shortly below the top of the burner.

It will be realized that whereas I have herewith shown and described a practical operative device, nevertheless many changes might be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and I wish, therefore, that my showing be taken as in-a sense diagrammatic.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

It will be understood that in the type of burner herein shown, primary air flows in through the apertures IT, IS and forms a partially combustible mixture with the vaporized hyrodcarbon. The hydrocarbon flows in liquid form through the inlet passage Ill and is vaporized by the heat of combustion already going on. In the normal use of the device, at full air supply, or at full burning capacity, the apertures I1 and I8 are all supplying primary air to form the primary mixture. This primary mixture then receives a secondary air supply through the secondary air inlet l6 and it is thereby converted into the final or combustible mixture which fiows upwardly through the aperture 6 in, the bailie 5 and is burned in the space defined by the inner wall 2 of the burner.

In starting and stopping the burner, or in maintaining it at minimum capacity, I find it useful to employ the conic ring l9 as a pilot cone or baffle. It is then located for example just above the bottom row ll! of primary air inlets.

As shown in Figure 1, a smaller number of these air inlets may be employed and the result is a minimum supply of primary air. Assuming that combustion has been maintained, the infiowing liquid hydrocarbon will be vaporized and will be formed with the air flowing through the apertures 18 to the primary mixture. As this mixture flows upwardly above the lip of the aperture 2|, it receives air through the apertures l1 and this air constitutes the secondary air supply for the pilot light and produces a fully combustible mixture which burns with a low flame in the space defined by the housing or mixing chamber I.

When full combustion is desired, the volume of air or fuel or both is controlled and as the combustion increases the apertures 11 also deliver primary air and the mixture resulting therefrom receives its secondary air from the apertures Hi. In effect, the supplemental chamber below the cone l9 serves the same function during pilot light operation as the entire housing 1 below the level of the secondary air apertures l6 does when the device is burning at full combustion rate.

When the conic ring or bafile I9 is cold, there is a considerable clearance between the outer edge of the ring and the wall I of the heater. This gives ideal starting conditions for the burner as it allows the circulation of air from above into the space between the outer edge of the ring and the side wall of the bumer'. When the burner has gotten into operation and the ring heats up, the normal expansion of the ring decreases the clearance between the outer edge of the ring and the side of the wall I which is very desirable for the best operation of the burner under pilot light conditions. In other words, it cuts oil the downward circulation of air between the outer edge of the cone l9 and the wall I and the substantially sole air supply to the pilot light zone is then the primary air supply passing through the apertures l8.

A further advantage to my device is its convenience of insertion and removal and assembly. The workman can place two legs on the ring or cone before it is inserted in the stove. The ring is then inserted through the doorway and the third leg may be put in position and, since it may pass through the apertures 24 and 25, this third leg 23 may serve not merely as a support for the ring but as a means for holding the ring together. There are certain disadvantages in the employment of such bafiles which are obviated by the employment of a conic split ring. The tendency to warp is substantially eliminated. Also, the possibility of merely changing the location of the holes 24, 25 makes it easy to adapt rings of the same general size to a substantial range of diameters without the necessity of separate tooling up or the provision of separate dies or tools for stamping out rings of specific size.

I claim:

1. A burner for liquid fuel and the like, including a combustion chamber having a generally cylindrical side wall and a bottom portion, means for supplying a liquid fuel to the bottom of said chamber, said wall having a plurality of air inlets located in generally horizontal vertically spaced rows, a baille plate supported within the chamber intermediate top and bottom thereof, and substantially closing it, said plate having a central aperture, the rim of said central aperture terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane as the row of air inlets next above the lowest row, the lowest row of air inlets being in communication with the space below said baffle plate.

2. A burner for liquid fuel and the like, including a combustion chamber having a generally cylindrical side wall and a bottom portion, means for supplying a liquid fuel to the bottom of said chamber, said wall having a plurality of air inlets located in generally horizontal vertically spaced rows, a baiile plate supported within the chamber intermediate top and bottom thereof, and substantially closing it, said plate having a central aperture, the rim of said central aperture terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane as the row of air inlets next above the lowest row, the lowest row of air inlets being in communication with the space below said baiile plate, the baffle plate being so disposed with respect to the combustion chamber wall that there is a substantial clearance between the outer periphery of the plate and the wall at the time of starting the burner.

3. A burner for liquid fuel and the like, including a combustion chamber having a generally cylindrical side wall and a bottom portion, means for supplying a liquid fuel to the bottom of said chamber, said wall having a plurality of air inlets located in generally horizontal vertically spaced rows, a generally frusto-conic baiile plate supported within the chamber in termediate top and bottom thereof, and substantially closing it, said plate having a central aperture, the rim of said central aperture terminating in substa tially the same horizontal plane as the row of air inlets next above the lowest row, the lowest row of air inlets being in communication with the space below said ba'flle plate.

4. A burner for liquid fuel and the like, including a combustion chamber having a generally cylindrical side wall and a bottom portion, means for supplying a liquil fuel to the bottom of said chamber, said wall having a plurality of air inlets located in generally horizontal vertically spaced rows, a. generally frusto-oonic baffle plate supported within the chamber intermediate top and bottom thereof, and substantially closing it,

said plate having a central aperture, the rim of said central aperture terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane as the row of air inlets next above the lowest row, the lowest row of air inlets being in communication with the space below said baflie plate, the baflle plate being so disposed with respect to the combustion chamber wall that there is a substantial clearance between the outer periphery of the plate and the wall at the time of starting the burner. JAMES L. BREESE. 

